“What about Trippi? I’m sure he’s involved in this somehow.”
Trippi is my driver and provides security. He’s not here now, but he’s close. Smith is right. Trippi is involved and has been for a long time. “He’ll be providing security for someone else.” I look Smith squarely in the face. “I want Delilah too.”
“What?” he roars.
“The mission requires a woman. One who’s multilingual, won’t crumple in the face of danger, and who looks like someone I might fuck. Delilah fits that to a T.”
His fists are clenched on the table. “It makes me sick to hear you talk about her like she’s a whore. If I didn’t know how you really feel about her, I would grind your pretty face into the cobblestones.”
This is the part—one of them—where emotions weaken the fabric. But rightfully so. His reaction tells me that my instincts are right. He will do everything in his power to protect her if things take a bad turn.
He contemplates me carefully, trying to put the pieces together. “You need a driver and security because you’re assigning Trippi, your trusted sidekick, to Delilah?”
“I’m assigning him to Delilah for a whole host of reasons that I’m not getting into with you.”
“The Bureau is bringing her in?”
“I’m bringing her in. I can use whatever assets I feel are necessary to complete this mission successfully. As you are fully aware, that’s how these things always work.”
“No one knows about her?” Smith cocks his head, gauging my reaction.
“Everyone who needs to know, knows. I don’t take any unnecessary risks with my team, and I won’t take any unnecessary risks with yours.” And I sure as hell am not taking any risks with Delilah.
Smith is fuming, but he knows that even the best-run ops are messy. It’s the nature of the beast. From his meeting at the Pentagon, he also knows this is a vital mission for the country. Words like duty and honor mean everything to him. Plus, he hasn’t told me to go fuck myself yet. That’s encouraging.
“Delilah came to me after Christmas. Said she couldn’t work at Wildflower anymore because her feelings for you were getting in the way of the job.”
“Did she?” I knew Delilah had run to Smith after the night we spent together. It had pissed me off that she went to him without talking to me first. I’m still pissed about it. But I never knew what she told him. “What else did she say?”
“None of your goddamn business.” Smith empties his coffee cup and places it carefully on the table. “She agreed to this?” The skepticism in his voice is scathing. But if I were in his place, I’d be skeptical too.
“She will.” I respond with more confidence than I’m feeling. I’m still not entirely sure how I’m going to convince her, but it’s going to be ugly. That part I am sure about. “It will be easier on her if you let her go without a fuss when she asks. I don’t want her to know you’re involved with this yet.”
“Why not?” Smith challenges. “Why can’t I loan her to you the way I’m loaning my other guy? Why do I have to let her go?”
“Because she’ll begin overthinking everything if she believes she’s serving two masters. If she isn’t focused, she’ll put the mission at risk and it will become dangerous for everyone, especially for her. It’s not a big secret that Delilah worships you.”
Smith swats a swarm of gnats away from his face. “You’re going to use her feelings for you, and your feelings for her, to make whatever story you’re concocting believable. That’s not going to interfere with her focus?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t have feelings for her.” The only person I’m kidding here is myself, but I force a jeer to make a more persuasive argument. “But I must be on top of my game, if I’ve convinced even you of that.”
“You’re a sonofabitch, and a goddamn liar.” The tips of his ears are flaming and his words are caustic, but his tone is measured. “I don’t care who you work for or how long you’ve been running ops. You’re playing a fool’s game if you involve a woman you can barely keep your hands off in a covert mission.”
“Why don’t we let Delilah make the decision? I’m just asking you not make it difficult for her to leave when she comes to you. This is a matter of national security,” I add for good measure. “You know this from your meeting at the Pentagon.”
Smith’s lips are pursed, and the smoke is bellowing from his ears.
“She’s perfect for this assignment—and it’s perfect for her,” I say quietly. “She needs this.” The last part is the nail in the coffin. It’s manipulative, but it’s true. And Smith knows it.
He fills his cheeks with air and when it escapes, it’s like a deflating balloon. “How is someone who was in the limelight like she was going to be able to fool a big fish with airtight security in place?”
“She can’t. We’re going to do it in plain sight. She’s the flavor of the month—actually, she’ll have to be more than that to be convincing.”
Smith glowers and curses softly.
“Delilah’s gorgeous. There isn’t a man alive who wouldn’t want to trade places with me. She’s been publicly shunned by her government, and she’s found a nice little landing place in my lap. It won’t be difficult to sell that story to the people I’m dealing with.”
“Pfft. Delilah will never agree to what you’re proposing.”
“We’ll see.”
“So this is why you’re so damn protective of Wildflower. It’s your cover. I can’t believe I’ve been so stupid.”
It is a cover, and a vehicle for me to spy on political and industry leaders from around the globe. My father opened Wildflower to gather dirt on his detractors so he could blackmail them when it became expedient. I harvest member information and feed it to the government. Their motivations aren’t always any more noble than my father’s were. Perhaps mine aren’t either.
“It’s more than just my cover. Maybe it started that way, but it’s become an important part of who I am.” It’s true. Wildflower has allowed me to indulge and perfect my Dominant ways to my heart’s desire.
Smith looks beaten. He might feel stupid, but I suspect he mostly feels betrayed.
My gut twists, and the coffee sloshes against my stomach wall, the acid burning the lining. Smith’s feelings are nothing compared to the pain my brothers would feel if I told them I’d been lying to them for nearly fifteen years—especially JD. The betrayal would be devastating. Unforgiveable. I push the thought away.
“You’re not stupid. I was always JD’s little brother,” I say gently. “There was never a reason to look any further.” I don’t apologize. Smith isn’t a naïve civilian. He was a member of the elite Delta Force, and has plenty of his own dark secrets. Although none of this makes me feel any better as I watch him battle with his emotions.
When I’ve had enough of sitting with the guilt, I stand to leave. “I’ll take care of your team. Get them back to you in one piece. You have my word.” Smith doesn’t look up. “I’ll be in touch,” I add, before walking away.